


Warm Birthday Wishes (Keep the Chill Away)

by coldwinterrose



Series: blessed be the boys time can't capture [3]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Cake, Birthday Presents, Bucky Barnes Remembers, Fluff, Happy Steve Bingo, M/M, More like a surprise dinner, Recovery, Sort Of, Surprise Party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-02 10:10:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16784854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coldwinterrose/pseuds/coldwinterrose
Summary: It’s Steve’s first birthday in the 21st Century, and Bucky is determined to make it his best birthday ever.





	Warm Birthday Wishes (Keep the Chill Away)

**Author's Note:**

> This is my final fill for the Happy Steve Bingo! It's for the square 'birthday cake', and when I sat down to think about it, I felt like the idea I had for it would fit perfectly in this 'verse. 
> 
> Just a warning, this is completely self-edited. If you see any glaring mistakes, feel free to point them out. I'd really appreciate it!
> 
> EDIT: Thanks to the very lovely [Pineau_Noir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pineau_noir/pseuds/Pineau_noir) for the quick beta read! And to [ Sable](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lecroixss/pseuds/lecroixss) for her input as well! I really, really appreciate it!!! <3

The idea came to him late one night, just as Bucky was drifting off to sleep, cuddled nice and warm next to Steve to ward off the mid-December chill. In less than a month, it would be Steve’s birthday. At that moment, it was nothing more than a passing thought, something he can deal with when he’s more awake.

It was the next morning when the significance of it hit him: not only will it be Steve’s birthday in a month, it’ll be his first birthday out of the ice. That was special. That was _important_ , and Bucky wanted to make it good for Steve. He wanted to give Steve the birthday he’d always wished he could give him, but they’d been too poor or too busy trying to just stay alive.

There was one catch though. Steve had _never_ liked celebrating his birthday. Bucky couldn’t exactly blame him, given Steve was usually either coming down with a fever, fighting off a nasty cold, or recovering from a recent illness. Then, after Sarah passed, there was never any time, between having to work to keep the heat on and food on the table and trying to keep Steve as healthy as the time of year would allow. 

Bucky kept this in mind as he quietly set his plans in motion. Getting everything sorted without Steve realizing what he was going wasn’t going to be easy, but he wasn’t the greatest covert assassin of the 20th century for nothing. Especially since most of the plans just involved making phone calls and ordering things online. 

That was the easy part. The difficult part would be the cake. If there was one part of his birthday Steve never seemed to mind, it was the applesauce cake Sarah always seemed to have ready, no matter how bare the pantry was. Bucky remembered the cake when he was going through his baking phase, but he hadn’t attempted to make it. It wouldn’t have seemed right, making it without Steve there.

Now, he regretted that choice. Sure, he had a couple weeks to figure things out, but with Steve around it would be impossible. Steve would realize what Bucky was trying to make, there would be no way for him to hide it.

No, he’d have to wait until Steve made a trip out of the cabin to figure it out. Or possibly create a reason for him to leave if he became desperate enough. He wanted time to get the recipe down. Close wouldn’t be enough, not for this. It had to be perfect.

* * *

Bucky sighed as he slid attempt number three into the oven to bake. He didn’t know why this was so _damn_ difficult. After attempt number one was a complete failure, he caved and took to the internet. He found a recipe that seemed like a good starting point, but he still had to tweak it since it seemed to be missing something. He hoped this attempt was the one: he still wasn’t sure what to do with these two other cakes. He hated throwing food away.

He tossed the dirty bowl in the sink to clean later and collapsed on the stool near the counter. It had taken a couple weeks to find a reason for Steve to make a trip out of the cabin, but he’d finally run out of room in his sketchbook and needed to get another one. Thankfully, the errand would take up most of Steve’s day. He would never admit it but put him in an art supply store and he would stop to look at everything. When they were kids it annoyed Bucky. It was a waste of time in his opinion, they’d never be able to afford most of what was in those stores. Now though, he was happy Steve was slowly getting back into his art. Steve was not only good at it, but it was also a healthy way for him to de-stress, and Bucky would do anything to encourage hobbies that don’t involve punching people. 

A tiny meow brought him out of his reverie, and he looked down to find Shadow looking up at him with those big, blue eyes of hers, begging for a treat. He rolled his eyes. “All right, you’re lucky I’m in a good mood, or else I’d make you wait until your dinner,” he said as he got up to give her a treat, which of course had a few of the other cats running in as soon as they heard the bag open. Once they were all satisfied he put it away and decided it might be time for a little snack himself, since he still had a half hour before this latest, and hopefully successful, attempt was finished. 

* * *

The morning of Steve’s birthday dawned cold and chilly, and all Bucky wanted to do was bury himself deeper in his warm bed. But part of what usually made the bed so warm was missing. Steve had already gotten up for the day for his daily run. Bucky wanted to roll his eyes, it was too damn cold to be running in the forest at this time of day, but Steve said he liked it. Bucky, on the other hand, had had enough cold for several lifetimes and was more than content to sleep in on chillier days. 

Today though, he resigned himself to being up earlier than normal. The sooner he could get Steve out of the cabin, the more time he would have to get things started before Natasha would arrive. Plus, he was already on edge, and he didn’t want Steve to catch on. 

Other than Natasha and Steve, no one else had ever stepped foot into this cabin. He’d chosen the remote location for a reason, he didn’t like people he didn’t know in his space. But, before Natasha had put the pieces together and figured things out, Steve had made a friend. One he’d kept in touch with even after moving out to Colorado to live with Bucky. 

There was still a part of him that raged at the idea of having a stranger in his home. Natasha had conducted a thorough but discrete background check though, and he trusted her assessment that Sam Wilson was no danger to Bucky or Steve, and that it would be safe to bring him here. He tried to let that thought calm his nerves. He wanted Steve to hold on to the connections he’d made on his own in this century. Hell, maybe he’d end up making a new connection of his own in Sam, he’s really liked what he’d heard of the man thus far. 

By the time he’d finally dragged himself out of bed, Steve was already back from his run. He staggered over to the coffee pot, thankfully already filled with coffee, bless Steve for setting it up before his run, and poured himself a giant cup before adding sugar.

“Hey, Steve?” He asked as they sat down to eat.

“Hmm?”

“I got an email, telling me there’s a package waiting at one of my PO boxes. Would you mind going out to get it? I’d do it myself, but I’m so close to finishing that cabinet.”

“And it can’t wait?”

“No, I really need it today, if possible. Only if you don’t mind though.”

“I don’t mind. I know how much trouble that cabinet has given you. Do I need to take the truck, or will I be okay on my bike?”

“The truck. The package isn’t heavy, but it is bulky.”

“Okay. just tell me which box. Maybe I’ll run some other errands while I’m out.”

“Thank you, Steve, so much.”

“It’s really no problem.”

The second Steve drove away, Bucky set to work. He made sure to have that specific package sent to the farthest PO box he had, to give him enough time to get things finished, and for Natasha to get here with Sam.

But, in the meantime, he really did need to finish that damn cabinet up.

* * *

In the afternoon, as promised, Natasha arrived with a slightly confused Sam in tow. Apparently, she hadn’t explained exactly where they were going. He didn’t know how Natasha managed to get people to do what she wanted without question, but he was thankful he was her friend and not her enemy. 

“James! I’m guessing the birthday boy is out,” Natasha asked as she handed him a couple wrapped boxes and took off her jacket and boots, Sam following suit.

“Well, we don’t want to ruin his surprise after all, do we?” Bucky, putting the gifts down and greeting her with a hug.

“Natasha, you said we were here to see Steve? Wait,” Sam, presumably, said as he got a better look at Bucky. “You… you look familiar. Do I know you?”

“Doubtful. Name’s Bucky. It’s nice to finally meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you from Steve.”

“Bucky. Hold on, wait. Bucky as in _Bucky Barnes_? The _Howling Commando_ Bucky Barnes?”

“That would be him,” Natasha, bless her, interjected before things could become awkward. “But he doesn’t like to talk about all that.”

“I… I have _so_ many questions, but I’ll leave it. For now. This explains a lot, though. One day Steve and I had plans to meet up for lunch, the next he’s gone and I get a text message that he’s moved to the middle of nowhere. But now I get it. They _must_ have had something in the water in Brooklyn back in the 30s. Wait, do I call you Bucky or James?”

“Something like that. And it’s Bucky. Natasha is the only one who calls me James, and only because she’s stubborn. Now come on, there’s lots to do.”

“Oh, gonna put us to work James?”

“Of course, that’s the only reason I asked you here after all.”

“What are we getting ready for?”

“It’s Steve’s birthday, so we’re going to surprise him. He’s out getting what he thinks is a package for me, but is really one of his gifts.”

“Wait, wait, wait. I thought his birthday was in _July_. You know, Captain America shares the same birthday as his country and all that.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “That might be _Captain America’s_ birthday, but Steve? He was born on January 4th, 1918. I guess they found it easy enough to doctor his records up. Turn January into July.”

“...Damn. That's fucked up, man.”

“It’s not surprising. Governments do it all the time. And it makes sense, it was another way to strengthen the war effort,” Natasha reasoned as they walked into the kitchen.

“Still. Fucked.”

“No kidding,” Bucky said. “Which is why I want this birthday to be perfect. He hasn’t been able to celebrate properly ever since he got the serum. Anyway.” He took a calming breath. Now was not the time to get angry about things he couldn’t change. “Right now, I need to focus on getting this damn cake baked. You’re welcome to make yourselves at home until I’m done.”

“What kind of cake are you making for him?” Natasha asked as she jumped on the counter, Liho jumping up to join her.

“Hey, no cats on the counter.”

“She’s not on the counter, she’s in my arms.”

“You know what I mean. You shouldn’t be up there either.”

She stuck her tongue out and settled in, practically daring him to kick her off. He rolled his eyes and instead focused on gathering the ingredients he needed.

“I’m making an applesauce cake. Steve’s ma always made it for him.”

“Sounds great,” Sam said. “Why do you sound so annoyed with it?”

“Because it’s not perfect. It’s close, as close as I can get it, but it's not like the one she made.”

“James. You know Steve won’t care about that. He’ll be happy no matter what you do.”

“I know,” he sighed. “I just want this to be perfect for Steve. It’s his first birthday back.”

“It will be, especially now I’m here,” she joked. “Now relax, take a deep breath. It’ll be fine.”

“Thank you, Natasha.”

“You’re welcome.”

* * *

Bucky did his best to relax as he watched the truck drive up on the security camera. The cake, such as it was, was waiting in the now cooled off oven. Dinner, which consisted of filet mignon and potatoes was being kept warm on the stove, while a salad was being kept fresh and cool in the fridge. The other gift he was giving Steve, the blue sweater he’d been working on, was wrapped and waiting. Everything was ready and waiting for Steve, for better or worse.

“Relax, James.”

“I don’t know Steve as well as you do, but I think I know him well enough to know he’s gonna love this.”

Bucky nodded. He knew that. He did. That still didn’t help the nerves. 

Hearing the key slip into the lock didn’t help much either. His heart sped up with the sound of the door opening and seeing Steve slip in and throw off his jacket. He bent down to greet Rose, who meet him at the door with her usual happy chirp.

“Hey Buck,” he said as he took his boots off and walked in. “I thought I saw Natasha car as I was driving in, is she here?”

“Yeah, I’m here, Steve. I brought a surprise,” she called from where she and Sam were hiding in the kitchen.

“Hey, man,” Sam said as they both walked in to greet Steve.

“Sam! What… oh my god, what are you doing here? Natasha? Did you tell Bucky you were bringing him?”

“It was my idea, punk. And that’s no way to greet a guest.”

“Sorry, Sam. It’s great to see you. You too, Natasha,” Steve said as he walked over to give him then Natasha, a hug hello. “You just caught me off guard. What are you guys doing here?”

“Happy birthday, Stevie. Surprise?” Bucky said.

“Wha… I… You… you remember?” 

“Yeah. I mean, I didn’t right away. It hit me a month ago. I guess you being here at this time of year jogged my memory. So, I figured I’d surprise you. I know, I know, you hate your birthday, which is why I didn’t just tell you—”

“Bucky.”

“Yeah?” 

“Thank you. I love it, so much,” he said as he walked over and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “I just didn’t think you’d remember, especially given the _official_ story.”

“Yeah, well, I did. So now you’re gonna have the birthday I always wished I could give you.”

“Wait, you don’t mean….”

“Yep. The best steaks I could find, and roasted potatoes. And I didn’t feel like it would be a proper celebration without your friends, so I figured I’d invite them, too.”

“Oh my god, Bucky. Thank you. I love you. So, so much.”

“I love you, too, punk. Now come on, these two have been bugging me for food for _hours_ now. I’m afraid they’ll turn on us if we don’t feed them soon.”

“You’re so funny, James.”

“Though, he’s not wrong. I am starving, and that food smells amazing,” Sam said.

“Yeah, yeah. Okay. Wait, Buck, where did you want that package?”

“Oh, just leave it in the living room. You can open it after dinner.”

“...Did you seriously send me to get my own birthday gift.”

“I had to get you out of the house somehow.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe you. Come on, let’s eat. Now that I smell it, I’m getting hungry myself.”

* * *

“You know, I’m not gonna lie,” Sam said as he put his fork down on his now empty plate. “That might be the best steak I’ve ever had in my life. And if tell anyone I said that, I'll deny it, or else my momma might kick my ass.”

“Don’t worry, it won’t leave this table,” Bucky said as he put his napkin on his plate as well. 

“Sam’s right, Buck. This was the best meal I’ve eaten, ever. Thank you so much.”

“Hey, it’s not done yet.”

“Oh god, what else is there? I don’t know if I can eat anything else.”

“Trust me, Steve. You’re gonna want to try this. James has been working on this all day.”

“Buck?”

“Way to get his expectations up, Natasha.”

“You’re welcome, James.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Let me put the plates in the kitchen and I’ll grab it. No,” he said to Sam as he made to get up to help. “You’re a guest, you relax. I’ll be back in a second.”

He closed his eyes after he placed the plates in the sink. Natasha was right, Steve probably would like it, no matter what. Keeping that thought in mind, he grabbed the cake from the oven, placed a candle in the middle and lit it, and walked out.

“Happy birthday, Steve,” he said a placed it on the table in front of him.

Steve looked up and his eyes got so wide Bucky was worried they might fall out. “Is that… is that my ma’s cake?”

“Yes, and no. It’s not the exact recipe. I’m not sure how she made it, but its the closest I could get it. Now hurry up and blow out the candle so we can eat.”

Steve closed his eyes for a second before opening them again and blowing it out. Natasha and Sam started in with the Happy Birthday song, which Bucky joined in as soon as he saw the blush rise on Steve’s face as he smiled. It was so adorable that, before getting back up to put the candle in the sink and grabbing the plates, he couldn’t resist giving him a small peck on the cheek.

He cut the first slice and handed it to Steve, before serving slices to the others, then himself. He tried to not stare at Steve as he watched him take the first bite, but he couldn’t help it. He had to know how badly he fucked this up.

The stunned look he got, paired with a tear falling, was the last thing he expected. 

“Steve?” 

“It’s just like she made, Buck. It’s perfect,” Steve whispered.

“Yeah?”

Steve nodded as he took another bite and closed his eyes for a moment. “Yeah. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear she made it herself. Thank you. So much.” He smiled as he gave Bucky a kiss. 

“You’re very welcome, Steve. And we’ve also got presents.”

“Wait, presents? Plural?”

“Yes. Plural.”

“This is way more than enough. You didn’t need to get me anything else.”

“I wanted to.”

“And so did we,” Natasha said as she came over carrying the wrapper sweater, as well as the other gifts. 

“Though I didn’t realize this was a birthday gift so much as a late Christmas gift. Sorry for the Santa gift wrap,” Sam said.

“That’s fine. You didn’t need to bring anything at all.”

“Steve?”

“Yeah, Buck?”

“Shut up and open the gifts.”

“Fine, fine,” he laughed.

Natasha got Steve a shirt and a new pair of jeans. “I’m assuming your measurements are the same as before.”

Steve held up the pants. “These aren’t those skinny jeans, are they?”

Natasha smirked. “Maybe. If anything, James will love them.”

“James will love _what_ , exactly?” he asked, curious why Steve would look so dubiously at a pair of pants.

“You’ll see,” Natasha said.

Sam, on the other hand, got Steve a set of books. “Harry Potter?”

“Trust me, you’ll love them. Let me know when you’re done with them so we can watch the movies.”

“Sure, of course,” Steve replied, though it was obvious he was still a little confused. Bucky had seen the movies in question, but he wouldn’t spoil anything for Steve. Sam was right though, Steve would love them.

“And this is from me.” 

“Bucky, I thought you got me whatever’s in that big box in the living room.”

“I did. I’m also giving you this. Just open it Steve.”

“Fine,” he said as he carefully, slowly opened the gift wrap. It took everything in him not to rip the gift open himself. Steve only did that when he really wanted to annoy him.

Eventually, he got enough of the paper off to see what was inside. “Oh, Bucky. This is beautiful! And it's so soft.”

“I’m glad you like it. You might need to try it on later. It’s a little big on me so I assume it’ll fit fine, but just in case.”

“I’m sure it’s perfect. I love it, thank you.”

“Don’t thank me just yet, you still have one more gift to open.”

“Bucky, this is more than enough. You really didn’t have to.”

“I know. I wanted to. Now, let me spoil you for once, okay?”

“Okay, okay. Do you have a knife so I can open it?”

Bucky just gave Steve a look as he took a knife from his ankle holster. Steve rolled his eyes in return and took the knife as they all got up and walked into the living room so Steve could finally open the box.

“Oh my god, Bucky is this an easel?”

“It is. You’ve been talking about setting up a small studio space, so I figured, when you’re ready, you could ha— oof,” he tried to say before he was interrupted by two hundred pounds of muscle crashing into him for a bone-crushing hug. 

“I love it. Thank you.”

* * *

Dishes were cleaned, and everyone was settled for the night, with Natasha volunteering to take the couch so Sam could have the bed. If this was going to become a thing, Bucky might need to think about expanding the cabin, adding in another guest room. 

_That_ was something he’d never expected to consider. His life had really changed since Steve had come back into it. And, surprisingly, he wasn’t scared by all the changes. Before, the littlest deviation would have him panicking, planning his escape. Now, he knew, logically, he was safe. And even if he wasn’t, he had Steve now, someone who he knew he could depend on, who would fight for him. 

The man in question slipped under the covers and cuddled up close. They would have maybe a couple of hours before Grant and Rose came in to settle down for the night, and they usually tried to use it to its fullest potential. Tonight though, just holding each other would be enough.

“Hey, Buck?”

“Yeah?”

“I know I’ve said this already, but thank you. Really.”

“I’m glad I got the chance to do this for you.”

“I have a question. Did you write down the recipe for that cake?”

“I didn’t, but I can. Why?”

“You got it perfect, and I don’t want to lose it again. Part of why I hated my birthday so much, after ma died at least, was not being able to have that cake again.”

“Is that why you didn’t mention your birthday this year?”

“Partially. But mostly I really wasn’t sure if you remembered or not. I didn’t want to upset you if you didn’t.”

“Stevie. I wouldn’t have been upset.”

“I know that, now at least. And, for the record, I wasn’t trying to keep it from you. If you’d thought it was in July, I would have celebrated it then with no problem.”

At that Bucky sat up a bit to look at Steve.

“...Okay, not with _no_ problem. But it wouldn’t have mattered the time of year we celebrated.”

“That’s more like it.”

“I love you, too, Buck. Now come here, I’m cold.”

“Yeah, I love you, too,” he said as he shifted closer, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep in Steve’s arms.

**Author's Note:**

> The recipe I found as inspiration for the applesauce cake can be found [here](https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/1930s-applesauce-cake-depression-era-cake-424277).
> 
> Also, Shadow is based on my other cat, Demeter! I couldn't include one of my cats and leave the other one out after all. If you're curious what she looks like, you can find a photo [here](http://jynladyofstardust.tumblr.com/private/180632893051/tumblr_piz9f98Ddj1rgkp8o).
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
